# Chronicling vs Check Mate EX

The clearest difference is rating: Chronicling at 4.8 against Check Mate EX's 3.7. Chronicling also leads on ratings volume (188 vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Check Mate EX's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chronicling sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Check Mate EX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chronicling holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chronicling has 188 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Chronicling's written reviews are positive against 100% of Check Mate EX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Chronicling ships an update weekly, Check Mate EX monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chronicling | Check Mate EX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (188 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chronicling-life-tracker/id6445992145/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/check-mate-ex/id6471193129/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **188** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 79.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 95 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rebecca Owen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1675314775) | [Logical Software Solutions LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1573628511) |

## What reviewers say

### Chronicling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chronicling-life-tracker/id6445992145)

Log habits, chores, and symptoms with a flexible tracker. Visualize frequency, patterns, and time since last logged. Offers gentle reminders and customizable categories.

**Highlights:** Log events with a tap, Track frequency and patterns, Gentle reminders and goals, Customizable categories and groups, Sync across Apple devices, Export data to CSV

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


### Check Mate EX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/check-mate-ex/id6471193129)

Create and reuse custom checklists for recurring tasks like camping trips. Organize items alphabetically or manually. Data syncs across devices, even offline.

**Highlights:** Create reusable checklists, Manual item arrangement, Alphabetical sorting, Offline data sync, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Check Mate EX | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chronicling free?

Chronicling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Check Mate EX free?

Check Mate EX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chronicling or Check Mate EX?

Chronicling is rated higher. Chronicling averages 4.8 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Check Mate EX averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Chronicling or Check Mate EX have ads?

Neither Chronicling nor Check Mate EX shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chronicling or Check Mate EX?

Chronicling ships an update weekly, and Check Mate EX monthly. Most recently, Chronicling was updated on November 7, 2026 and Check Mate EX on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*